1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Follow Transylvania University on Twitter!

Transylvania is now using Twitter to keep the campus community, future students, alumni and friends informed of the university’s latest news. What is Twitter? Twitter is a free social networking service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Twitter is used by Transy as a communications tool to stay connected with our “followers” and to pass along emergency notifications (like weather closings), campus reminders, upcoming events and other university information of interest. Creating Your Twitter Account Creating a Twitter account is easy. Simply go to www.twitter.com and click on the “Get Started-Join!” button. You will need to provide a username. Twitter will check for duplicates to ensure each username is unique. You will then provide a password and e-mail address. You can only create one Twitter account per e-mail address. Finally, enter the word(s) displayed in the security box and click the “Create my account” button. Follow Transy In order to receive Twitter messages from Transy you will need to “follow” the account we use. To do this, log into Twitter, enter “Transy” (no quotes) in the “Name or location” box located at the top of your Twitter home page, and click on search. On the results page that opens, locate the entry for Transy (should be the only entry) and click “Follow”. That’s it, you are now following Transy and

Transylvania students partner with neighborhood to create Morlan Gallery exhibit “North Limestone Gathers” opening March 16

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Students from Transylvania University’s Community Engagement Through the Arts class have teamed up with North Limestone residents and neighboring students to find collections, objects and stories from the North Limestone neighborhood. The result is North Limestone Gathers, an exhibition opening Monday, March 16, and running through April 17. The exhibition features collections from people, homes and dorms, each displayed as an installation. In addition to creating the exhibition, students in the class taught by Transylvania English professor Kremena Todorova and art professor Kurt Gohde have maintained a Facebook page which records all their class assignments, including writing weekly “This I believe” essays in style of the NPR project of the same name. The class, first introduced last winter, has garnered the participation of vice-mayor Jim Gray, Transylvania associate dean Kathleen Jagger and city councilwoman Andrea James, to name a few. A North Limestone Gathers gallery talk and reception will be held Wednesday, April 1, from 6-8 p.m., in the Morlan Gallery. College and middle school students, professors, community members and local collectors will discuss the experience of creating North Limestone Gathers. This event is free and open to the public. The Morlan Gallery is open weekdays, noon to 5 p.m. The exhibit will also be a stop on the Lexington Gallery Hop, Friday, April 17, from 5-8 p.m. For more information go to: https://www.transy.edu/morlan or contact Morlan Gallery director Andrea Fisher at (859) 233-8142.

Distler named MVP, Todd Coach of the Year in HCAC

Jackie Distler LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania senior guard Jackie Distler captured Player of the Year honors Thursday from the Heartland Conference while Greg Todd was the selection of his peers as the league’s Coach of the Year. Distler, a Louisville Sacred Heart product, led the Pioneers to a 22-5 record and to HCAC regular season and tournament titles. She averaged 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds a game, both team highs, while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three-point range. She scored in double figures in 25 of 27 games with a career-high of 25 against Mt. St. Joseph. Distler, who missed her junior season with a knee injury, was named to the All-HCAC team for the first time. She is the third Transy women’s player to be named Player of the Year, joining Julie Leach (2007) and Tari Young (2003). Greg Todd Todd guided Transy into the NCAA Championship for the second time in his three seasons as head coach. The Pioneers were regular season HCAC champs for the first time since 2002-03 and took the HCAC tourney for the first time since Transy joined the league in 2001-02. Transy also won 20 or more games in a season for the first time since 2004-05. Todd’s record in three seasons at Transy is 53-29. Distler was joined on the All-HCAC first team by teammate Brittany Henderlight. The junior guard averaged 12.4 points a game, second on the team,

Tobacco industry critic makes case for federal regulation of tobacco products

Jeffrey Wigand LEXINGTON, Ky.—Tobacco industry critic Jeffrey Wigand, speaking at Transylvania University on Tuesday, March 3, on the topic “Insider’s View of the Tobacco Industry,” made the case for federal regulation of tobacco products while recounting his experiences as a former executive at Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation who went public with inside information on that company’s research and marketing practices. Wigand, vice president for research and development at Brown & Williamson from 1988-93, decided to violate his confidentiality agreement with his former employer in 1995 and reveal information on the company’s research involving nicotine content and its effects on addictiveness in smokers. He was subsequently the subject of a CBS 60 Minutes expose and a 1999 Hollywood movie titled The Insider that depicted his story as a corporate whistler-blower and as a key witness in a multi-state trial that resulted in Kentucky and 39 other states getting tobacco settlement money. “Federal regulation should compel tobacco companies to disclose all the additives in their products,” Wigand said. “Smokers should have the same level of knowledge the industry itself has. I have no problem with adult smokers who assume the risk, provided they do it with informed consent.” Wigand joined Brown & Williamson with the goal of developing a less hazardous cigarette and devising the testing protocol that would allow the company to make this claim in its advertising campaigns. He accused the company of thwarting this purpose and misrepresenting the

Verax named top player, Lane best coach in HCAC

Joey Verax LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania’s Joey Verax has been named 2008-09 Player of the Year and Brian Lane Coach of the Year by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Verax, a senior forward from Falmouth, Ky., was the leading scorer on a 21-5 Transy team that won the HCAC co-championship, then captured the league tournament and the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. Lane was named Coach of the Year for the third time after leading the Pioneers to their third regular season conference title and third NCAA berth in four years. He was also honored after the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Transy won 20 or more games for the third time in his eight years as the Pioneers’ head coach. His career record is 136-77. Verax was joined on the All-HCAC first team by senior guard Aaron Cash, a Rockcastle County product. Senior forward Brock Jones (Madisonville, Ky.) and junior Tim Tierney (Ft. Wright, Ky.) were honorable mention picks. Verax, who made the All-HCAC first team for the third straight year, led Transy in scoring with 16.2 points a game. He is also the team’s top rebounder at 5.8 a contest. Earlier this season, he became the 41st Pioneer to surpass 1,000 points for his career. Brian Lane His current total of 1,275 is 25th all-time. Cash was an honorable mention selection as a sophomore while Tierney was a first-team pick last year. Jones is on the squad for